Method and apparatus for removing objects from continuously moving mandrels

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for removing hollow containers such as cups having a generally circular cross-section and a cylindrical or frusto-conical shape from an orbiting mandrel continuously moving the containers through a process where their side walls are printed. The removal apparatus of the invention utilizes a suction cup movable through an orbital path and adapted to engage the closed end of the container and to move it rapidly to a conveyor means for transfer to a remote position without contacting the printed side wall of the container.

[ 1 Jan. 9, 1973 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS [54] METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REMOVING OBJECTS FROM CONTINUOUSLY MOVING MANDRELS [98/22 H ....l98/33 AB 198/33 AA Scott Paper Company, Delaware, Pa.

L, J m e u H n n h a m m K m m a m m m 8M m m 0 mu Al. C m u: m 0 M m y 6 Ron d SBF .WF R 997 266 m e 3 c ano m 7 00 EV: 008 wl v 9 an 221 r 65 .mo n 133 PA s mu mn l ae Ph hMtC .,n .JIOC nm w Sh-lfl- MC muwi JmWM n en m C Vi E flrwo .MWF R BSWMWM f SomflmhN C l nmmwlfl EbBRflH & r 0 t. n e V n I 1 5 7 rl ABSTRACT [73] Assignee:

A method and apparatus for removing hollow con- [22] March 1970 tainers such as cups having a generally circular crosssection and a cylindrical or frusto-conical shape from an orbiting mandrel continuously moving the con- 21 Appl.No.: 19,135

Related US. Application Data [62] Division of Ser. No. 644,955, June 9, 1967, Pat. No.

tainers through a process where their side walls are printed. The removal apparatus of the invention util- 3,507,632- izes a suction cup movable throughan orbital path [52] U 8 Cl and adapted to engage the closed end of the container 198/25 and to move it rapidly to 'a' conveyor means for [51] [let- 47/00 t f t a remote i i i h t t ti th [58] Field of Search...l98/25, 33 AA, 210, 211, 103, printed side n of the container,

11 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJAM 9:915 3,709,349

sum 1 or 5 INVENTORS. ERIC 5. BUHAYAR ROBERT cv CROWE FRED w'. WERNER ROBERT w. WHEELER 'ATTORNEY.

PATENTEDJAH 9191: 3.709349 snwaurs INVENTORS.

W. WERNER ROBERT W. WHEELER BY j ATTORNEY.

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR REMOVING OBJECTS FROM CONTINUOUSLY MOVING MANDRELS This application is a division of U.S. Pat. application, Ser. No. 644,955, filed June 9, 1967, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,507,682 entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PRINTING CONTAINER SIDE WALLS.

The feeding apparatus employs several successive container conveying sections, two of which operate at an increased speed to separate containers from a line or stack and feed them to a remote position. The turret assembly comprises a rotatable frame carrying a plurality of rotatably-mounted mandrels through an orbital path including a treatment section and includes a friction wheel for accelerating the mandrels to a given rotational velocity in a section of the orbital path prior to the treatment section. Cam means are provided to control the direction of tilt of the axis of each mandrel as it passes through the treatment section when the surfaces of hollow frusto-conical objects are to be treated. The print blanket assembly includes apparatus for pivoting the print blankets during contact with the moving surface to be printed so that contact with the moving surface is maintained for a longer time. The apparatus for removing containers includes a suction cup moveable through an orbital path and operating on the end of the container to transfer successive containers to gripping belts which feed it rapidly onto a conveyor substantially free from any bouncing action or other motion disturbance. The container drying apparatus includes guides to cause containers to follow a skewed path along and across a conveyor in a manner which rotates the container about its axis and substantially uniformly exposes its sidewall, and a number of radiant heaters and coolers arranged to circulate air over the exterior sidewall of the container as it rotates and moves axially in a skewed path along and across the conveyor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention such as cans have an outwardly depending raised strip or bead about the peripheral junction between one or both closed ends of the container and the adjoining sidewall. Similarly, containers such as cups generally have an outwardly depending bead or rolled lip disposed about the periphery of the open end.

The invention is particularly adapted for use where.

the containers are held on mandrelsmounted to a turret assembly and, more particularly, to a turret assembly adapted for moving cylindrical objects through a treatment stage where a treatment such as printing is performed on their sidewalls after which it feeds them to an object removal or take-off station, all of the above being done in continuous motion as distinguished from intermittent or indexed motion.

The invention more specifically relates to method I and apparatus for handling cylindrical objects only by This invention relates in general to a method and ap- I paratus for removing containers from orbiting mandrels and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for removing containers from mandrels which continuously move the containers through a process where their side walls are printed.

In the broader aspects of the invention, the surface to be printed may be any printable exterior surface of revolution of an article, of which a container such as a cup or a can is one example, which surface appears either in a transitory or final stage of article formation. The articles to be printed or decorated preferably have a generally circular cross-section. Certain forms of the invention are particularly advantageous for decorating and printing hollow containers having either a cylindrical or a frusto-conical shape.

The term cylindrical object" as used throughout the specification and claims is intended to include right cylindrical objects such as cans as well as other hollow objects whose outer surface is substantially a surface of revolution generated by the rotation of a line about an axis, including objects, such as cups and the like, which may have one or more frusto-conical surfaces. When the term frusto-conical object is used in the specification and claims, a cylindrical object as defined above which has at least one frusto-conical surface, such as a their ends so that the treated sidewalls of the objects remain free from contact. It has specific utility in the over-all printing apparatus'of the invention in which it is used to remove cylindrical objects from the mandrels moving through an orbital path and to deposit them in a predetermined attitude on a. transfer belt unit for conveyance to a remote point.

2. Description of the Prior Art In the past, the printing of the sidewalls of cylindrical objectssuchas containers has been extremely difficult and laborious. The high volume use and concomitant low cost of such objects dictate that any treatment process must be performed at a very high speed in order to be economical. The printing of paper cups is often done on the paper material in the flat sheet condition prior to its formation into the frusto-conical or cylindrical shape. However, such treatment is not possible or practical in the printing ofplastic cups where the material undergoes considerable deformation during the formation ofa cup. It is clearly impossible to do on glass containers. Thus, to perform the printing step prior to formation in either of the above types of objects would result in the complete or substantial destruction of the image detailduring formation.- 4 A The need for printing the side walls of containers has increased with the advent of thin walled plastic containers of solid sheet, foam, or laminates since these articles are generally'formed at extremely high production rates by. processes such as differential pressure forming, blowmolding, injection molding and the like. In addition to drinking cups, such articles are widely used in a large number of packaging and storage applications. In addition to decoration, it is desirable that the sidewalls of such containers and cups be printed to identify either the contents of the package, the manufacturer, or both. v

Several economic aspects have a bearing on the printing problem. Such articles generally sell for a very of the value of the package contents. Therefore, any printing process must be of sufficient low cost and high rapidity such that it adds very little to the cost of the article. In addition, any articles printed incorrectly must be discarded or, in some instances, ground to scrap and rem'olded. To achieve the above-mentioned low cost, manufacturers have to maintain a very low percentage of error and resulting scrap loss throughout the process of manufacture, including the printing stage. Thus, any

printing process must be highly accurate and devoid of any treatment or handling which will damage thearticles. Referring more specifically to the invention of this disclosure, the articles after being printed must be tently for separately positioning, stabilizing, and printing articles such as cups. Those familiar with mechanical devices can readily appreciate the speed limitations of intermittently operating apparatus. The inertia of the elements involved as well as the fragile nature of the article being treated makes it impracticable to consider treating more than about 150 to about 200 articles per minute. On the other hand, it generally has been thought to be too difficult to perform such an operation on articles of this nature in a continuousoperation. Typical printing apparatus of the intermittently operating type is disclosed in U. S. Pat., No. 3,195,451 issued July 20, 1965 to]. CQl-Iovekamp et al. It can be appreciated that the problem of removing the printed articles from an intermittently operating apparatus is .more easily solved than with removal of the article I from a high speed continuous apparatus.

In view of the above-mentioned difficulties and other deficiencies and shortcomings of the prior art, it was surprising to discover that reliable apparatus can be constructed which is capable of printing container sidewalls in a continuous manner, as distinguished from an intermittent manner, in an economical operation at much 'higher speed, on the order'of 500 articles per minute and higher, with extremely low scrap losses due to article damage or printing inaccuracies in the high speed operation.

It is a principle object and'advantage of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for removal of cylindrical objects including frusto-conical cups or containers with printed sidewalls from a high speed container printing apparatus in a mannerwhich not only overcomes many of the-difficulties of the prior art, but which results. ina number ofsignificant ad vantages and improvements. I

One'of the most difficult problems to be overcome in printing .or treating cylindrical objects is to provide some means of firmlysupporting the objects and movingthem past the printing or treatment station. This problem is especially acute where the objects are containers made of relatively fragile' m aterials such as paper or plastic. The supporting means must be desighed'to facilitate the engagement and removal of given cylindrical objects. All of the foregoing requirements are even more difficult to achieve when the The intermittent systems of the prior art utilize turrets mounted for indexed operation and carrying maridrels for supporting containers. No means is provided for allowing emplacement, treatment or removal of containers while the turret is moving. The only known continuously operable equipment of the prior art employs a series of loose-fitting mandrels and retractable of the container for their success. None of the equipment-of the prior art provided any means for continuously printing tapered sidewalls of frusto-conical containers, and especially those made of relatively fragile materials.

The turret assembly to which the present invention relates a number of rotatably mounted mandrels carried through a fixed orbital path about the turret axis. In addition, the turret assembly of the invention includes a pneumatic system adapted to apply vacuum through the mandrel to grip or holda container to the surface of the mandrel during certain portions of the orbital path and to apply pressure to loosenor release containers from the mandrels in other portions of the orbital path. 5 v a It is a further object of the present invention to pro vide a mandrel carrying turret assembly including means for facilitating removal ofcontainers from said mandrels while the turret assembly is continuously not been known in the prior art. The problem is made cylindrical object fromv the mandrel for a distance equal at least tothe length of the object while the moving mandrel has advanced only a very short relative distance. Conventional container handling equipment would be impractical for this purpose especially where carried on a rotating turret'assembly by reliablemechanical means which accomplish-removal during a short distance of mandrel travel. The removal apportant tothe success of this device was the develo pthan intermittent.

paratus of the invention utilizes'a suction cup moveable through an orbital path and adapted; to engage ,the closed end of the container and to move it rapidly to a conveyor means for transfer to a remote position. lm-

mentof a cam control system for.causing the suction cup to-move through an accurately controlled motion path in which the suction cup has a continuously changing velocity enabling it to swiftly remove a cylindrical objectfrom a position of interference with the path of its carrying mandrel and to smoothly deposit it on to a conveyor in a condition where smearing of the image on its sidewall is prevented.

Accordingly it is an object and advantage of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for removing cylindrical objects or containers from mandrels carried by a turret assembly through an orbital path in continuous motion.

It is a further object to provide such a method and apparatus in which the cylindrical object is gripped only by contact with its closed bottom.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the detailed description of specific embodiments thereof which follow.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The high speed continuous printing, treating, and handling apparatus to which the invention applies includes a turret assembly which has a rotatably mounted frame, a plurality of support mandrels mounted for rotation and carried by the frame through an orbital path. Successive mandrels are substantially equidistantly spaced from one another. The orbital path has a plurality of functional sections including an object pickup section, an object rotate section, an object print section, and an object removal section. Handling means are included for removing decorated objects from successive mandrels as they are carried through the object removal section of the orbital path. The handling means include conveying means spaced from the mandrels carried by the rotatably mounted frame through the object removal section of the orbital path and pickoff means for gripping the cylindrical objects and for transferring them to the conveying means. Drive means are included to drive the rotatably mounted frame, the feeding means, and the object removal means, in a substantially constant speed relationship to one another.

In the operation of the printing apparatus, cylindrical objects are individually separated and fed from a source. The objects are successively placed onto moving mandrels which cross their path at a remote point. The objects are continuously moved in supported condition upon the mandrels through an orbital path including an object treatment section and an object removal section. The exterior surface of successive objects is treated as each object moves in continuous motion through the object treatment section of the orbital path after which the objects are removed from the continuously moving mandrels as they pass through the object removal section.

The invention includes apparatus for removing hollow cylindrical objects from continuously moving mandrels passing through the object removal section of an orbital path, which objects have a closed end, upstanding sidewalls, a peripheral flange extending outwardly therefrom, and wet ink or other decorating material on the exterior surface of the sidewalls. The apparatus includes object engaging means adapted to grip the closed end of the object. Linkage means are operably connected to the object engaging means and actuating means are operably connected to the linkage means so as to cause them to move the object engaging means through a predetermined cyclical motion path in response to the actuating means. The motion path extends at least from the point where the object engaging means grip the closed end of a cylindrical object to a point where the open end of aid object clears said mandrel. Conveying means are provided to receive a cylindrical object released by the object engaging means and to move it to a remote point.

The invention includes a method for removing hollow cylindrical objects from continuously moving mandrels passing through the object removal section of an orbital path, which objects have a closed end, upstanding sidewalls, a peripheral flange, and wet ink or other decorating material on the exterior surface of their sidewall. In the method, the closed end of the cylindrical object is engaged as it is carried through the object removal section of the orbital path. The cylindrical object is moved in a direction away from the mandrel while simultaneously being moved along the orbital path at substantially the same speed as that of the mandrel so that it is withdrawn from the mandrel. The cylindrical object is gripped by engaging the peripheral flange thereof at spaced points after which the closed end is released. The gripped object is advanced to a remote point.

After removal from the mandrels, the objects may be carried to an apparatus for curing ink carried on the exterior surface of a cylindrical object having at least one peripheral flange extending radially outwardly from the exterior surface. In the apparatus, conveyor means are provided having a carrying surface with a fixed path of movement operable to convey a cylindrical object disposed thereon through an ink curing region. Feeding means are provided for introducing the cylindrical object onto the carrying surface with its cylindrical axis generally oriented in the same direction as the fixed path of movement of the carrying surface.

The invention has been generally described and some of its features pointed out in the foregoing. Specific embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters have been used to refer to like parts wherever they may occur.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a specific embodiment of high speed continuous printing, treating, and handling apparatus of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional elevation view showing the detailed construction ofa mandrel.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view through the central portion ofa mandrel core taken along line 23-23 of FIG. 2,

FIG. 4 is a sectional view through a mandrel taken along line 24-24 of FIG. 2, showing internal passages in the mandrel,

FIG. 5 is an end view of a mandrel taken along line 25-25 of FIG. 2,

FIG. 6 is an elevation view of object removal apparatus of the invention, employed with the apparatus shown in FIG. I,

FIG. 7 is a sectional elevation view through the conveying means taken along line 3S-35 of FIG. 6,

FIGS. 8, 9, and 10 are progressive enlarged sectional elevation views through a mandrel illustrating sequential stages of object removal.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 illustrates a preferred embodiment of high speed continuous printing, treating and handlingapparatus of the invention. The apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1 is adapted for the decoration of the exterior sur-, faces of frusto-conical objects having tapered sidewalls and one open end such as plastic cups and the like. Such cups generally have a radially outwardly depending flange or bead which forms the lip of the cup. With slight modification of certain minor aspects in a manner which would be generally understood by one skilled in the art and as pointed out to some degree throughout this description, the apparatus can also be used to decorate the exterior surfaces of other types of cylindrical objects, including right cylindrical objects such as metal or plastic cans and the like. These objects generally have a peripheral raised strip or bead at one or both ends, allowing them to be handled in a similar manner.

The apparatus includes as elements thereof the following subassemblies, indicated generally by the respective reference numeral: object feeding apparatus 50, object printing apparatus 51, object removal apparatus 52, a turret assembly 53 for receiving objects from the object feeding apparatus 50 and for moving them past the object printing apparatus 51 to a position where they are transferred to the object removal apparatus 52, and object drying apparatus 54 arranged for receiving objects from the object removal apparatus 52 and fordrying or curing decorating material applied to the. surfaces of said objects by the object printing apparatus 51. In its broader aspects, the invention includes embodiments of the apparatus described above in which object printing apparatus 51 is replaced with other apparatus for treating the surfaces of objects while they are moved through the treatment in a supported condition by the other apparatus of the invention. For example, object printing apparatus 51 could be replaced by embossing apparatus for texturizing the surface of cylindrical objects such as cups to impart certain frictional or insulating characteristics.

In operation of the apparatus, the cup is carried along its orbital path to a point where it is contacted by .the object removal apparatus 52. The closed end of the cup is engaged by object engagement means 66 of object removal apparatus 52. Object engagement means 66 is connected by linkage means 67 to an actuating means 68 which is designed to cause movement of a cup 56 carried by object engagement means 66 through a predetermined motion path to a conveying means 70. The cup is carried to'a point where it is gripped by conveying means 70 at spaced peripheral points about its outwardly depending flange and deposited upon a surface also forming a portion of conveying means 70 for transfer to the object drying apparatus 54. During the removal of the cup 56 from the turret assembly 53, contact with the exterior sidewall of the cup is avoided so that the wet or uncured decorating material thereon is not smeared.

The cup 56 is then transferred to conveyor means 71 of the object drying apparatus 54 for drying or curing the decorating material on its sidewalls.

A pneumatic system, in part by FIGS. 2 through 5, is provided in the turret assembly 53 to control the gripping of cups 56 by the mandrels 140 as mandrels 140 move through the object rotate section 161 and the object printing section 162 of their orbital path. The pneumatic system also provides a means for releasing cups 56 from the mandrels 140 after they pass through the printing section 162 of the orbital path and before they arrive at the object removal section 163 of the orbital path. The gripping function is performed by a vacuum system operating through openings in the sur# face of mandrel 140 which holds the cup 56 firmlyfto the surface of the mandrel 140 and the removal func tion is accomplished by supplying pressurized air to the interior of the cup 56 through a passageway in mandrel 140 to blow it at least partially off the mandrel 140.

An abutment member 164, shown clearly in FIG. 1, is disposed adjacent the closed ends of cups 56 carried by mandrels 140 through the section of the orbital path between the printing section 162 and the object removal section 163. This abutment member 164 limitsthe extent of removal of cups 56 from the mandrels 140 by the application of compressed air to their interiors until they have been placed in a position where they will be engaged by object removal apparatus 52.

FIGS. 3 through 5, in conjunction with FIG. 2, illustrate the configuration of passageways through mandrel 140 which allow the flow of air through the mandrel 140 to the interior of a cup 56 carried thereon for purposes to be described.

In the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, it has been found desirable to provide means for applying vacuum through the mandrel 140 to the interior of the cup 56 carried thereon prior to its passing through. the object rotate section 161 and the objecttreatment section 162 of its orbital path to seat and firmly hold the cup 56 on the tapered surface 212. Vacuum enters through a conduit 215 which is secured to central portion 204 of core 202. Core 202 has a passageway2l6 extending along its rotational axis from the point where conduit215 enters to the end of tip portion 203..The passageway 216 is divided into three sections 217, 218 and 220 along'a portion of its length through central portion 204 by a T- shaped insert 221 shown more clearly. by sectional views in FIGS. 23 and 24. The passageway 216 is divided into two portions 217 and 218 by the extension of insert 221 through the tip portion 203 of core 202 and opening out into a concave recess 222 in the end of tapered portion 212 of mandrel shell 207, as shown in FIG. 5. Before the mandrel is carried through the object rotate section 161 of the orbital path, vacuum is applied through conduit 215 and through section 217 of passageway 216 to create a vacuum within recess 222 between the closed end of a cup 56 on the mandrel 140 and the surrounding surface of mandrel shell 207. This causes a cup 56 to be drawn tightly into frictional engagement with tapered surface portion 212 of man-.

drel 140. 7

Additionally, it has been found desirable to apply air pressure through the mandrel 140 to the space between the tapered surface 212 of the mandrel shell 207 and the interior surface of a cup 56 carriedthereon as well as to concave recess 222 to assist in stripping or removing the cup 56 from wedged engagement with the tapered surface 212 of the mandrel shell 207 prior to its reaching the object removal section 163 of the orbital path. Thus, compressed air is fed through a conduit 223 which connects with passageway 216 through central portion 204 of core member202. Compressed air is fed into section 220 of passageway 216.and flows through the passageway 216 into an annular passageway 224 by means of a radial passageway 225 through core 202. This arrangement allows continuous flow of compressed air from stationary core 202 into radial holes 226 in rotating shell member 207 leading to an annular chamber 227 within shell 207. Annular chamber 227 connects to an outer annular chamber 228 within shell 207 by means of inclined passages 230. Compressed air fed to passageway 216 and introduced into outer annular chamber 228 is emitted laterally outwardly by means of a radial gap in shell 207 to grooves 231 running toward the end of tapered portion 212 of shell 207. The grooves 231 are recessed into the surface of the tapered portion 212 of shell 207, allowing the passage of compressed air beneath the inner surface of a cup 56 disposed thereon. The grooves 231 do not extend toward cylindrical portion 213 of shell 207 as far as the end of a cup 56 disposed on the tapered portion 212 of the rotatable shell 207. Longitudinal passageways 232 also connect outer annular chamber 228 with the concave recess 222 at the end of rotatable shell 207 to allow direction of compressed air fed therethrough against the closed end of a cup 56 disposed on tapered portion 212. The combination of air flowing along the sides of the cup 56 as well as air directed against the end of the cup 56 acts to release the cup 56 from its wedged disposition on the tapered portion 212 of the rotatable shell 207 to facilitate its removal from the mandrel 140.

FIGS. 7 through 10 illustrate a specific embodiment of object removal apparatus 52 shown in FIG. 1. Removal apparatus 52 performs the function of removing cups 56 from successive mandrels 140 carried by turret assembly 53 through the object removal section 163 of the orbital path. Since the cups 56 have decorating material on their exterior surface which generally is not dry or set prior to removal of the cup from mandrel 140, they must be handled through contact with portions other than the sidewall thereof. Removal apparatus 52 accomplishes handling of cups 56 to remove them from mandrels 140 by engaging the closed end of the cup 56 as well as the peripheral flange or lip extending radially outward from the exterior surface or sidewall of the cup.

Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 7, a cup 56 is disposed upon a mandrel 140 which is carried by turret assembly 53 (described above) through an orbital path. Object removal apparatus 52 includes engaging means, indicated generally by reference numeral 361, which are moved through a prescribed path past removal section 163 of the orbital path by means of linkage means, indicated generally by reference numeral 362. The movement of linkage means 362 is controlled by actuating means 363 which, in the embodiment shown, comprise a cam system connected to a drive motor (not shown). Removal apparatus 52 also includes conveying means, indicated generally by reference numeral 364, which receive a cup 56 removed from mandrel 140 and transferred to a remote point by engaging means 361 operated by actuation means 363 through linkage means 362.

Engaging means 361 comprise a member 365 carrying a suction cup 366 on its lower end. A conduit 367 connects to member 365 and leads to a rotary valve 368 which connects to a vacuum pump 370 through conduit 371 and a compressor 372 through conduit 373. Rotary valve 368 is operably connected by drive means (not shown) to actuating means 363 to control its operation in timed relationship with movement of engaging means 361 so that a cup 56 is gripped by vacuum at a predetermined position and released by air pressure at another predetermined position.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show the construction of member 365 and suction cup 366 in greater detail. Member 363 has a duct 374 extending downwardly from conduit 367 to an annular chamber 375 at its lower end. A bolt 376,

bearing against a rear disk 377 retains a peripheral rubber seal 378 in position between a front disk 380 bearing against a seat 381. Front disk 380 has apertures 382 therethrough which connect chamber 375 with the space between the bottom of a cup 56 engaged by suction cup 366 and the outer surface of peripheral seal 378 and front disk 380. Upon creation of a vacuum in duct 374 through conduit 367, annular chamber 375 is evacuated and a cup 56 is engaged by suction cup 366 so that it can be supported thereby and removed from "mandrel 140. Upon the addition of air pressure to annular chamber 375 through duct 374 and conduit 367, cup 56 may be disengaged from suction cup 366 at a predetermined time.

Member 365 is connected to a portion of linkage means 362 by a pin 383. Linkage means 362 includes an arm 384 which is an extension of member 365 and is pivotably connected at its opposite end to an arm 385 which is pivotably suspended from a fixed point at its upper end. Movement of arms 384 and 385 in response to actuation of other portions of linkage means 362 controls the direction of point of suction cup 366 which correspondingly controls the axial orientation of cups 56 carried thereby. In this connection, the suction cup 366 is preferably mounted on member 365 at a slight angle corresponding to the angle of inclination of mandrels so that its periphery is equally spaced from the closed end of a cup 56 carried thereon.

Linkage means 362 also includes an arm 386 pivotably connected at its upper end to an arm 387 which is pivotably connected at its opposite end to a link 388 which is fixedly secured to outer shaft 390. A second link 391 is fixedly connected to an inner shaft 392 and also pivotably connected at one end to arm 386. Thus, links 386, 387, 388, and 391 form a pantographing relationship. Inner shaft 392 and outer shaft 390 are independently rotated through parts of one revolution in alternating directions so that the movement of pivotal member 365 can rapidly and accurately be controlled. Separate movement of inner shaft 392 and outer shaft 390 is achieved by the use of cams 393 and 394 (shown in phantom outline) operating through cam followers 395 and 396 rotatably attached to arms 397 and 398 fixedly attached at their centers to inner shaft 392 and outer shaft 390, respectively. By designing cams 393 and 394 to a predetermined configuration, the path of suction cup 366 can be accurately adapted and controlled to achieve a certain purpose with a motion path having particular velocity and spatial characteristics in a manner well-known to a skilled machine designer.

Conveying means 364 include a plurality of belts 400, 401 and 402, having a high surface friction characteristic which are arranged to grip the peripheral flange or lip of a cup 56 at spaced points about its periphery at a point where cup 56 has been at least partially removed from mandrel 140. For a short period of time and distance of travel, cup 56 is gripped both by suction cup 366 and by belts 400, 401 and 402. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, belt 400 is carried in a pair of spaced pulleys 403 affixed to shafts 404 which are driven by means of gears (not shown) by a drive motor (not shown)v connected to pulley 405 through a belt 406. Similarly, belts 401 and 402 are carried in pairs of spaced pulleys 407 and 408, respectively, mounted upon shaft 410, which are driven through drive means (not shown) by the same drive motor as above.

Another portion of conveying means 364 comprises a conveyor belt 412 running beneath a portion of the extent of belts 400, 401 and 402, and arranged to receive successive objects released by these belts and carry them to a remote position. Conveyor belt 412 has an upper flight 413 and a lower flight 414 and is suspended between a pair of spaced pulleys 415, only one being shown. Pulley 415 is carried on a shaft 416 connected to gears (not shown) which are driven by drive motor (not shown) acting through belt 406 upon pulley 405. The upper flight 413 of belt 412 runs over a supporting pan 417 having two upwardly diverging sides 418 and 420 which serve to guide cups 56 disposed therein in a predetermined manner and to orient them axially, with their open ends facing rearward of their direction of movement.

One of the features of belts 400, 401 and 402, is their adaptation to accurately place cups 56 into a position directly upon the surface of upper flight 413 of conveyor belt 412 so that they are supported by a point adjacent their closed end and a point on their peripheral flange or lip. This insures that decorating material on the exterior surface of cup 56 will not be contacted or smeared by carrying surfaces. It also insures that even at extremely high speeds of cup handling, no bouncing of the flexible cups will occur due to dropping the cups upon the moving surface when they are released by the belts 400, 401 and 402. It has been found preferable to transport cups 56 in a condition where they are tipped upon their side as they are more stable in this condition than when standing on either one of their ends.

FIG. illustrates the manner in which the axis of the cup 56 is oriented as the cup is gripped by belts 400, 401 and 402 to place the cup 56 in contact with the surface of upper flight 413 of conveyor belt 412. This is accomplished by having belt 401 run faster than belt 402 which is by the use of pulleys 407 of larger diameter than pulleys 408 so that both belts 401 and 402 may be driven of the same shaft 410. It may also be accomplished by use of gears.

FIGS. 8 through 10 illustrate the path followed by the suction cup 366 in response to movement by linkage means 362 operating actuation means 363. Although many motion paths could be constructed and utilized, some characteristics of the path of the suction cup 366 have been found important to the high speed removal of cups 56 from mandrels 140. The velocity of the suction cup 366 is continually changing about the orbital path to coincide at various points with the relative speeds of the other portions of the removal apparatus 52. For example, at the point indicated by reference numeral 421, the speed of suction cup 366 equals the speed of mandrel along its orbital path and the speed in the axial direction of mandrel 140 is zero. At the point indicated by reference numeral 422, the speed of suction cup 366 in the direction of the orbital path of mandrel 140 is zero while it equals the speed of the conveyor belt 412 in the direction of the axis of cups 56. Between points 421 and 422, the suction cup 366 is rapidly accelerated and then decelerated to accomplish movement of cup 56 from mandrel 140 to belts 400, 401 and 402 as rapidly as possible and before mandrel 140 has traveled very far along its orbital path. Furthermore, the suction cup 366 must be returned to the pickup position fairly quickly to coincide with the next succeeding mandrel 140. However, it must be rapidly decelerated just prior to pickup of a cup 56 to facilitate engagement of the closed end ofa cup 56 with suction cup 366.

As shown in FIG. 8, the suction cup 366 preferably encounters the cup 56 on mandrel 140 before suction cup 366 reaches the point indicated by reference numeral 421. This is arranged by disengaging and partially removing a cup 56 from mandrel 140 by the application of ,air pressure before mandrel 140 reaches the removal section of its orbital path. Premature complete removal is prevented by abutment member 164 shown in FIG. 1. Suction cup 366 then pushes cup 56 back toward mandrel 140 before withdrawing it therefrom. This allows more time for suction cup 366 to engage the closed endof cup 56 and insures positive gripping and removal which are important for continuity of operation of the printing apparatus.

What is claimed is:

1. A method for removing hollow cylindrical objects having a closed end, an upstanding sidewall and at least one peripheral flange extending outwardly therefrom from continuously moving mandrels passing through the object removal section of an orbital path, said objects having wet ink on the exterior surface of their sidewall, comprising the steps of engaging the closed end of said object as it is carried through the object removal section of said orbital path,

moving said object in a direction away from said mandrel while simultaneously moving it along said orbital path at substantially the same speed as that of the mandrel so as to withdraw it from said mandrel,

gripping said object by engaging the peripheral flange thereof at spaced points, releasing the closed end of said object, and advancing said gripped object engaged at spaced points about its peripheral flange.

2. A method according to claim 1, including the step of releasing said gripped object onto a moving surface at a velocity substantially equal to that of said surface and in a position where the object is supported byone point on said peripheral flange and one point on said sidewall.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the axis of said object is substantially parallel with the direction of movement of said surface.

4. A method according to claim 1, including the step of controllably varying the angular orientation of the axis of said object while gripping it by engagement of spaced points about it peripheral flange but after releasing said closed end.

A method according to claim 1, including the step of initially releasing said object from said mandrel prior to engagement of the closed end thereof by applying air under pressure to the interior of said object.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the 5 closed end of said object is engaged by applying a suction cup thereto and including the step of evacuating part of the air between said suction cup and said object to cause said suction cup to attach to said object.

7. Apparatus for removing hollow cylindrical objects having a closed end and upstanding sidewall and at least one peripheral flange extending .outwardly therefrom from continuously moving mandrels passing through the object removal section of an orbital path, comprising object engaging means adapted to grip the closed end of said object,

linkage means operably connected to said object engaging means,

actuating means operably connected to said linkage means to cause them to move said object engaging means through a predetermined cyclical motion path in response to said actuating means, said motion path extending at least from the point where said object engaging means grip the closed end of said object to a point where the open end of said object clears said mandrel, and

conveying means adapted to receive an object released by said object engaging means and to move said object to a remote point, said conveying means include object gripping means adapted to grip said object by engaging the peripheral flange thereof at spaced points prior to the release of said object by said object engaging means, whereby the orientation of said object .upon being received by said conveying means is controlled.

8. Apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said conpoint on said sidewall.

9. Apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said object gripping means comprise a plurality of moving belts disposed about the path of objects supported by said object engaging means, flights of said belts being arranged to grip said object by engaging said peripheral flange.

10. Apparatus according to claim 9, including means to drive at least one of said moving belts at a speed different than the speed of the others whereby the orientation of the axis of an object gripped by said belts is changed in a predetermined manner after said object is released by said object engaging means.

11. Apparatus for removing hollow cylindrical objects having a closed end and upstanding sidewall and at least one peripheral flange extending outwardly therefrom from continuously moving mandrels passing through the object removal section of an orbital path, comprising object engaging means adapted to grip the closed end of said object, said object engaging means include a suction cup, means for supplying a vacuum to said suction cup as said cup engages the closed end of said object, and means for supplying air ressure to said suction cup to release said object rom said suction cup for movement to a remote point by said conveying means,

linkage means operably connected to said object engaging means,

actuating means operably connected to said linkage means to cause them to move said object engaging means through a predetermined cyclical motion path in response to said actuating means, said motion path extending at least from the point where said object engaging means grip the closed end of said object to a point where the open end of said object clears said mandrel, and

conveying means adapted to receive an object released by said objectengaging means and to move said object to a remote point. 

1. A method for removing hollow cylindrical objects having a closed end, an upstanding sidewall and at least one peripheral flange extending outwardly therefrom from continuously moving mandrels passing through the object removal sectIon of an orbital path, said objects having wet ink on the exterior surface of their sidewall, comprising the steps of engaging the closed end of said object as it is carried through the object removal section of said orbital path, moving said object in a direction away from said mandrel while simultaneously moving it along said orbital path at substantially the same speed as that of the mandrel so as to withdraw it from said mandrel, gripping said object by engaging the peripheral flange thereof at spaced points, releasing the closed end of said object, and advancing said gripped object engaged at spaced points about its peripheral flange.
 2. A method according to claim 1, including the step of releasing said gripped object onto a moving surface at a velocity substantially equal to that of said surface and in a position where the object is supported by one point on said peripheral flange and one point on said sidewall.
 3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the axis of said object is substantially parallel with the direction of movement of said surface.
 4. A method according to claim 1, including the step of controllably varying the angular orientation of the axis of said object while gripping it by engagement of spaced points about it peripheral flange but after releasing said closed end.
 5. A method according to claim 1, including the step of initially releasing said object from said mandrel prior to engagement of the closed end thereof by applying air under pressure to the interior of said object.
 6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the closed end of said object is engaged by applying a suction cup thereto and including the step of evacuating part of the air between said suction cup and said object to cause said suction cup to attach to said object.
 7. Apparatus for removing hollow cylindrical objects having a closed end and upstanding sidewall and at least one peripheral flange extending outwardly therefrom from continuously moving mandrels passing through the object removal section of an orbital path, comprising object engaging means adapted to grip the closed end of said object, linkage means operably connected to said object engaging means, actuating means operably connected to said linkage means to cause them to move said object engaging means through a predetermined cyclical motion path in response to said actuating means, said motion path extending at least from the point where said object engaging means grip the closed end of said object to a point where the open end of said object clears said mandrel, and conveying means adapted to receive an object released by said object engaging means and to move said object to a remote point, said conveying means include object gripping means adapted to grip said object by engaging the peripheral flange thereof at spaced points prior to the release of said object by said object engaging means, whereby the orientation of said object upon being received by said conveying means is controlled.
 8. Apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said conveyor means includes a moving surface adapted to receive objects released by said object gripping means in said controlled orientation with contact of said object on only one point on said peripheral flange and one point on said sidewall.
 9. Apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said object gripping means comprise a plurality of moving belts disposed about the path of objects supported by said object engaging means, flights of said belts being arranged to grip said object by engaging said peripheral flange.
 10. Apparatus according to claim 9, including means to drive at least one of said moving belts at a speed different than the speed of the others whereby the orientation of the axis of an object gripped by said belts is changed in a predetermined manner after said object is released by said object engaging means.
 11. Apparatus for removing hollow cylindrical objects having a closed end and upstanDing sidewall and at least one peripheral flange extending outwardly therefrom from continuously moving mandrels passing through the object removal section of an orbital path, comprising object engaging means adapted to grip the closed end of said object, said object engaging means include a suction cup, means for supplying a vacuum to said suction cup as said cup engages the closed end of said object, and means for supplying air pressure to said suction cup to release said object from said suction cup for movement to a remote point by said conveying means, linkage means operably connected to said object engaging means, actuating means operably connected to said linkage means to cause them to move said object engaging means through a predetermined cyclical motion path in response to said actuating means, said motion path extending at least from the point where said object engaging means grip the closed end of said object to a point where the open end of said object clears said mandrel, and conveying means adapted to receive an object released by said object engaging means and to move said object to a remote point. 